Cover letter for your first job after studying
The first job is applied for against a hundred people with the same qualification, from the same handful of universities, in the same month. The degree is the ticket in, not the argument. What separates one letter from the next is a single piece of work described precisely enough to be pictured — and the discipline to stop talking about your studies once you have finished with them.
The letter, in full
Copy it, then replace the facts with your own. The notes below say what each paragraph is there to do.
What each paragraph does
Get the degree over with in one line
Subject, class, university, date. It is the entry requirement, it is already on the CV, and every additional sentence about it is a sentence not spent on what makes you different.
Give one piece of work with numbers in it
Four hundred to eleven hundred addresses; donations roughly doubled. Numbers are what a graduate letter almost never has, and they are what turns an activity into a result the reader can weigh.
Name the habit, not the quality
“Testing copy on someone who is not me” is a working practice; “strong attention to detail” is an adjective. The first can be pictured on a Tuesday morning, and the second cannot.
Explain the fit in one specific sentence
The link between what they do and what you have done. Vague admiration for the company reads as research done in thirty seconds, which is usually accurate.
The mistakes specific to this case
Writing the letter about the degree
Three paragraphs on modules and dissertation tell the reader you have nothing else, whether or not that is true. Almost everyone has something else: a society, a part-time job, a project, a volunteering role.
Apologising for inexperience
“Although I am new to the industry” is the applicant volunteering the objection. The reader knows you are a graduate — the advert said so — and reading it as a confession makes it a weakness rather than a fact.
Sending one letter to every advert
The mass-applied letter is recognisable because the fourth paragraph would fit anywhere. Ten letters written properly beat sixty sent quickly, and take about the same total time.
Frequently asked questions
What if my only experience is a part-time job unrelated to the role?
Use it for what it proves: reliability, dealing with people, working under pressure at speed. Two years of Saturday shifts is a real employment record, and it shows you can hold a commitment alongside a degree.
Should I mention my degree classification?
Yes if it is a 2:1 or above, or if the advert asks. If it is lower, leave it to the CV and use the letter for the evidence that outweighs it, rather than drawing attention to the number.
How do I write about societies without sounding like a student?
Describe them as work: a budget, a team, a deadline, an outcome. Running a society's finances for a year is a genuine responsibility, and it reads as one as soon as you drop the word society from the first sentence.
Should I follow up if I hear nothing?
Once, after two weeks, in three lines. A second follow-up rarely helps and occasionally harms; the time is better spent on the next application, which is where the odds actually are.
What changes from country to country
United Kingdom
Graduate schemes at large employers open in the autumn and close early, often with online tests before any letter is read. Smaller employers hire year-round and are where a specific, well-written letter counts most.
United States
Say resume, not CV, and expect one page. Class of degree is not a familiar concept; GPA is, but only include it if it is strong. Achievements framed with numbers are read as the norm rather than as boasting.